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December streaming highlights: the films and series you just can’t miss

1.12.2022

Translation: Veronica Bielawski

New month, new streaming highlights. Be it Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ or Prime Video, here’s what’s on streaming services this December.

I saw my math teacher with a piece of graph paper yesterday. I think he must be plotting something. Well, that was my December dose of anti-humour. With that, here are the best series and films appearing on Netflix and other platforms this month.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Glamour.com writes that «Lady Chatterley’s Lover» is expected to be even steamier than «Bridgerton», another historical drama. In fact, the 1928 novel of the same name is considered one of the first serious works of world literature to explicitly depict sex. But that’s not all. The book is about the unhappily married Constance Chatterley, who longs for more self-determination. As if that were not enough, she also plunges into an affair with the gamekeeper of her husband’s lands. With that, the wicked romance novel violated every custom and morality of its time. In England, it was outright banned, deemed too inflammatory, scandalous, vulgar and pornographic by the authorities. It wasn’t until 30 years later, in 1960, that the ban was lifted. I can’t wait to see this new film adaptation.

Starts: 2 December
Where: Netflix

Emancipation

Will Smith. Ah, the juicy backstory. His slapping of Chris Rock during last year’s Oscars continues to cast a long, dark shadow over the once-so-likeable «Prince of Bel-Air» actor. And «Emancipation» just about screams, «Please, please, please, gimme another Oscar!» How so? Well, the film has everything it takes to be an Oscar contender according to the tastes of the often political Oscars Academy. I’m talking actors rolling in the mud, acting their hearts out (think Leonardo DiCaprio, «The Revenant»). Or very toned down, and therefore digestible, social criticism (think «12 Years a Slave»). Epic music. Dramatic «I must get to my family!» lines for the trailer. And the most important part? That the film is based on a true story. How accurately it’s portrayed is always the big question.

Right, cynicism aside. The trailer looks promising, and Antoine Fuqua has been viewed as a highly respected director ever since «Training Day», at the latest. Add to that the fact that Will Smith is one hell of an actor, well deserving of his Oscar in the tennis drama «King Richard» – face slap or not.

Starts: 9 December
Where: Apple TV+

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

«Can there be enough film adaptations of Italian author Carlo Collodi’s 1883 children's book?» I wrote in September’s streaming highlights. I should have phrased it better. For example, «Aren’t there enough film adaptations already?» Carlo Collodi’s «Pinocchio» from 1883 has already been interpreted for the big screen over 30 times. Some of these are better, others worse. The latter especially applies to Disney’s soulless 2022 remake of its own animated film.

All the more exciting that the trailer for «Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio» captured my attention right from the start. There’s so much more heart and love in every single frame than in Disney’s remake. What’s also fascinating is the very «Frankenstein-esque» vibe that Guillermo del Toro – known for his monsters in fantasy films – has incorporated. At the end of the day, both movies tell the story of a child brought to life by a father and thrown into the real world to find out what makes people human. This is an experiment I’m really looking forward to experiencing.

Starts: 9 December
Where: Netflix

National Treasure: Edge of History

Do you recall the two «National Treasure» movies with Nicolas Cage? The first one was released in 2004, in the middle of my youth. At the time, I didn’t care about the many plot holes and clunky dialogues. I was too young to be the judge of that. But the films did have plenty of wit, pace, action and charm – typical of films by star producer Jerry Bruckheimer. So now, 18 years later, comes a Disney+ series that carries on the adventurous scavenger hunt. My expectations aren’t particularly high. But who knows, maybe the series could end up being quite the pleasant surprise because of that.

Starts: 14 December
Where: Disney+

Tschugger, Season 2

«Tschugger» – nuff said! If you haven’t watched the first season and are looking for a Swiss German production, do it. Now. If David Constantin, screenwriter, director and leading actor all in one, has proved anything, it’s that Switzerland can, in fact, do humour. The series revolves around the «Tschugger» – Valais German for policeman – Bax (played by the aforementioned David Constantin). The arrest of the notorious Valais hemp grower Bernard Rappaz back in the day was attributed to him (only in the series, of course). But ever since Bax’s steep ascent, the unspectacular Valais has been in the doldrums – until one day an attempted murder propels half the canton into chaos.

The first season was grand. Made so in part by the hilarious supporting cast. For example, there’s Zurich intern Smetterling, (without the «Sch» as you’d expect in the word «Schmetterling», meaning butterfly, because Cedric Schild plays him with a lisp) or the constantly worried Pirmin (Dragan Vujic). Belinda Bencic also deserves a mention. Who is that? Why, that’s the name of Bax’s pistol. «Tschugger» feels like a cheap mix of 1970s crime thriller and «Magnum» knockoff – and I mean that as a compliment. If you have Sky Show, you can already enjoy the entire second season (with subtitles, of course, because Valais German is next-level hard to understand). Sky co-produced the series. Those who don’t have a subscription can tune in every Sunday evening on SRF 1 starting 18 December.

Starts: 18 December
Where: SRF 1, 10:35 p.m.

Jack Ryan, Season 3

«Jack Ryan», Tom Clancy’s action spy thriller series (yes, it really is a little bit of everything) is entering its third round. Back on board is John Krasinski, who you might know as Jim from «The Office». In my eyes, he’s first and foremost the eponymous CIA analyst who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty – though Krasinski certainly isn’t the first actor to portray Tom Clancy’s famous character from the books.

In 1990, it was a very young Alec Baldwin who portrayed Ryan in «The Hunt for Red October». Later, Harrison Ford took over the role in «Patriot Games» and «Clear and Present Danger». In early 2002, Ben Affleck had the honour in «The Sum Of All Fears» – my personal favourite of the Jack Ryan adaptations. But wait, there’s more. Jack Ryan was adapted for the big screen one last time in 2014 with «Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit», starring Chris Pine. As you can see, the character of Jack Ryan is almost as steeped in history as James Bond, novel and all. And judging from the plot in the trailer, I suspect that the book «The Sum of All Fears» once again served as the inspiration for a Jack Ryan adaptation. Awesome sauce!

Starts: 21 December
Where: Amazon Prime Video

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Director Ryan Johnson may well be a divisive figure. «Star Wars: The Last Jedi» is a prime example of this. While the film caused a storm of enthusiasm among critics, fans seemed just about ready to bring out the pitchforks in an effort to kick him out of Hollywood. His «Knives Out» on the other hand, was a quirky, witty crime thriller à la «Cluedo» that went down pretty darn well with everyone, not least because of Daniel Craig’s uncharacteristically funny and eccentric master detective Benoit Blanc. It’s no wonder multiple sequels are already in the works. The only surprise is that they won’t be shot for theatres, but will end up directly on Netflix; the streaming giant has already secured the rights for two sequels. I don’t mind either way. I’m just happy to see more of the unaccustomedly funny Daniel Craig.

Starts: 23 December
Where: Netflix

Barbarian

In our last podcast, my colleague Phil assured me «Barbarian» was a true horror thriller. The perfect scary movie. And that the less you know about it in advance, the better. So, I don’t want to reveal too much about the plot here. I’ll leave it at this: The film is rated 18+. My, oh my.

Starts: 28 December
Where: Disney+ (Star)

Wildcat

The battle was over, but the soldiers were left fighting. Flashbacks, nightmares and depression plagued them. Some spoke indistinctly. Others couldn’t concentrate. Haunted and on edge, the soldiers wrestled with their memories of war.

Cuneiform tablets in Mesopotamia more than 3,000 years ago

Wars, battles, executions – such matters have had a devastating effect on the human psyche not just since 1980, when PTSD (link in German) was first diagnosed, but for thousands of years. That’s because we humans are decidedly social and altruistic animals by nature. After all, we have no claws that’d allow us to fight back; no fangs to hunt. and no thick fur to protect us. It’s the ability to collaborate and empathise that gave humans the best chance of survival, even making them the most successful species of today.

And so, wars are an unnatural occurrence. They’re instigated by a few yet inflict great damage on the psyche of millions of people – soldiers and civilians alike. Harry Turner is one of those affected. When he returns from Afghanistan with severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, he intends to end his life in the Peruvian Amazon. But then he meets conservationist and scientist Samantha Zwicker. She entrusts him not only an orphaned ocelot; she also gives Turner a new purpose in life. Namely, to raise and reintroduce the ocelot, Keanu, into the wild. The trailer of the full-length documentary has already got me cutting onions. This is a must-see!

Starts: 30 December
Where: Amazon Prime Video

White Noise

I’ve no clue what’s going on in this trailer – which is exactly what I like so much about it. The film was directed by the US director Noah Baumbach, who’s primarily known for «Marriage Story». Adam Driver’s performance in that movie earned the actor an Oscar nomination for Best Male Lead. And it’s his time to shine again in the starring role in «White Noise». All this makes for a promising start.

While researching the film, I came across the 1985 novel of the same name. Author Don DeLillo essentially breaks it up into two parts. The first part, which starts off in the «ideal world» is characterised by satirical criticism and sometimes absurd scenes about academic life at a provincial university and includes harsh criticism of the media. According to Der Spiegel, DeLillo predicted the developments and negative effects of social media almost prophetically in his 1985 critique of the media. Then there’s the second part: the chemical accident. The events come to a head. From then on, the story is much darker and deals with the fear of death. My mind is made up – I’m definitely watching this movie.

Starts: 30 December
Where: Netflix

Cover photo: Daniel Craig in «Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery» / Netflix

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Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

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December streaming highlights: the films and series you just can’t miss

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Emancipation

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

National Treasure: Edge of History

Tschugger, Season 2

Jack Ryan, Season 3

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Barbarian

Wildcat

White Noise

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These are the streaming highlights in September

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December streaming highlights: the films and series you just can’t miss

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